Too Many Bikers, Not Enough Lawyers

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DALLAS(CBSDFW.COM) - None of the arrested bikers from the deadly gunfight in Waco Sunday  have been able to post a $1 million bail bond.  CBS 11 has learned they are also having trouble finding attorneys to represent them.

There simply aren't enough qualified or available attorneys in Waco to represent all of the 170 bikers arrested and there's a call out to attorney's in the Dallas area to help.

Dallas criminal defense attorney Pete Schulte doesn't shy away from high-profile cases that have included judges and celebrities. But when asked to be a court-appointed attorney for one of the 170 Waco bikers his answer was, "no."

"It's a reduced rate than anything that's paid in the Metroplex and two, it's an hour and a half away and three any hearing you're going to have with that many people is going to take days," says Schulte.

An email circulating among DFW lawyers says, "Waco is in need of more attorneys..."

Schulte says the demands of a case that involves capital murder will make it hard for McLennan County to find enough lawyers for those bikers who can't afford them.

"They're going to have to do something the criminal justice system down in McLennan County it can't handle taking 170 people to trial," says Schulte.

Last Sunday's gun battle outside at Twin Peaks restaurant that left nine dead and 18 injured could also pose a monumental financial challenge for taxpayers.

"Around $45 a day to house each of these inmates you multiply that times 170 that's $50,000 dollars a week to hold these inmates," says Schulte.

You might be asking why not just appoint several attorneys to represent all of them. The problem with that is these bikers might have different levels of involvement and could implicate the other which would be a conflict of interest for the same attorney.

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